Gage for cutting hair.



J. WRIGHT.

GAGE FOR CUTTING HAIR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, 1914.

1, 1 32,699. Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

ATTORN EY THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHOL WASHINGTON, D. L

JOSEPH WRIGHT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAGE FOR CUTTING HAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 213, 1915 Application filed April 23, 1914. Serial No. 833,915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chlcago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented a new and useful Gage for Cutting Hair, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in gages for cutting or trimming hair.

' The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of gages for cutting hair and to provide a simple, practical, and efficient device, designed for the use of barbers and others, for cutting or trimming hair, and capable of affording a rigid gage, adapted to be pressed against and moved over the head of a person or over an animal, whereby the hair may be accurately cut an even length,

A further object of the invention is to provide a gage of this character adapted to be moved over the head of a person and to be gradually openedor adiusted and automatically locked in such adjustment, so that the operator, starting at the neck or the side of the head, may cut the hair with the length thereof gradually increasing to the top of the head, and trim the hair at the top of the head an average length.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages, ofthe invention.

In the drawing:Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hair cutting gage constructed in accordance with. this invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional. iew of the central portion of the gage. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the comb and the gage portion to which it is secured, the section being taken at one of the fastening devices. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of a hair cutting gage illustrating another form of the invention. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a portion of a hair cutting gage showing a comb receiving recess. Fig. 6 is a similar view illustrating a comb receiving slot. 7 is a transverse sectional view illustrating the manner of securing a comb in the slot of Fig. 6, the section being taken at one of the fastening devices. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view showing a comb secured in the recess of Fig. 5, the section being taken at one of the fastening devices.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the hair cutting gage comprises in its construction two sides or members 1 and 2, crossed at an intermediate point and having inner handles or grips 3 and outer gage portions 4 and 5, which are curved longitudinally 'to enable the device to conform to the configuration of the head of aperson, and to be readilv moved over the same. The sides or members 1 and 2 are crossed between the gage portions and the handle or grip portions. The sides or members 1 are connected at the rear endsof the handle or grip portions 3 by an approximately U-shaped spring 6, which is adapted to urge the handle or grip portions 3 outwardly and the gage port ons 4 and 5 inwardly to close the gage. The sides or members 1 and 2 are provided at their intermediate portions with bends which offset their handle portions from the plane of their gage portions, and the; intermediate portion of the member 1 extends through a longitudinal opening 7 in the intermediate portion of the other member 2-, the walls of the slot forming a guide for the side or member 1 and operating to maintain the gage portions in proper relative position when the gage is open or closed.

The gage portion 4 of the member 1 is 2 provided with a longitudinal groove Sopening laterally of'the gage and receiving the back of a comb 9, which is secured in the groove by rivets or other suitable fastening devices and located in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane in which the two sides or members 1 and 2. operate. The gage portion 5 of the side or member 2 is approximately semi-cylindrical in cross section, and it presents a smooth, rounded or convex exterior surface to the head of a person, and is adapted to fit snugly against the gage portion 4, which is substantially U- shaped incross section .to. form the said ,groove or channel 8. This gage portion 5 is relatively small in cross section, so as to be readily passed through the hair in the use of the gage. 1n the use of the device for out ting or trimming the hair of a person, it is started in a closed position at the back of the neck or the side of the head, where it will hold the hair at a short length to be cut by scissors or shears, in the usual manner. Then as the gage is moved upwardly toward the top of the head, the handles are compressed to open the gage, which is automatically locked in such adjustment by a locking device 10, so that the device fornisa rigid gage in its closed position, and also in each of its adjustments. The gage is gradually opened until fully open at the top of the head, and it is constructed of a size to enable the hair on the top of the head to be cut an average length.

The locking device 10 consists of a resilient bar or piece disposed transversely of the intermediate portions of the sides or members and secured at one end 11 to the side or member 1, and provided with teeth 12 for engaging the other side or member 2. The side or member :2 is provided with a transverse passage formed by slots 13 and receiving the toothed portion of the locking bar or device 10, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The resiliency of the locking bar urges the same into engagement with the side or member 2, and the teeth are beveled at their outer sides and shouldered at their inner sides, so as to lock the handle or grip portions of the sides or members against relative outward movement. The tension of the connecting spring maintains the side or member 2 in engagement with the locking device and thereby enables the gage in each of its adjustments to form a rigid guide for cutting or trimming the hair. The outer portion of the locking device projects beyond the side or member 2 and is adapted to be moved forwardly out of engagement with the same to permit the connecting spring to close the gage automatically. This construction enables the gage to be readily handled and easily operated with the left hand, while cutting or trimming the hair with the right hand.

While the device is especiallv adapted for the use of barbers, it may be advantageously employed for trimming the hair of various animals, and may be constructed of various sizes and with. its parts proportioned to adapt it for the character of hair cutting or trimming for which it is to be employed.

Instead of securing the terminals of the connecting spring 6 to the handle or grip portions 3 of the sides or members 1, the sides or members and the connecting spring may be formed integral, as shown at 14 in Fig. 4 of the drawing. Also, instead of securing the comb in a groove, the gage may be equipped with an outer gage portion 15 having a recess 16 for the reception of a comb, as illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 8 of the drawin In Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawing the gage member 17 is provided with a slot 18 for the reception of the back of the comb. The comb, which is curved longitudinally to conform to the configuration of the gage portions, may be of any desired construction, and various other means may be employed for automatically securing the sides or members in their adjustment.

What is claimed is:

1. A gage for cutting hair including two sides or members consisting of inner handle or grip portions and outer gage portions, said sides or members being crossed between the inner handle or grip portions and the said outer gage portions, a spring connecting the handle or grip portions and arranged to normally urge the same outwardly and adapted to be compressed by pressure on the handles to open the gage portions, and a comb located at the outer portion of the gage.

2. A gage for cutting hair including two sides or members consisting of inner handle or grip portions and outer gage portions, a spring connecting the handle or grip portions and arranged to urge the same outwardly and adapted to be compressed by pressure on the handles to open the gage portions, a comb carried by one of the gage portions, and means for automatically locking the sides ormembers in their adjustment.

3. A gage for cutting hair including two sides or members consisting of inner handle or grip portions and outer gage portions, said sides or members being crossed between the inner handle portions and the outer gage portions, a spring connecting the handle or grip portions and arranged to urge the same outwardly and adapted to be compressed by pressure on the handles to open the gage portions, locking means car ried by one of the sides or members and arranged to engage the other side or member for automatically locking the said sides or members in their adjustment, and a comb carried by one of the gage portions.

4. A gage for cutting hair including two sides or members consisting of inner handle or grip portions and outer gage portions, said sides or members being crossed between the handle or grip portions and the gage portions, a spring connecting the handle or grip portions and arranged to urge the same outwardly to close the gage portions and adapted to be compressed by exterior pressure on the handles to open the gage por tions, and a resilient transversely disposed locking bar secured to one of the sides or members and extending through the other side or member and provided with a plurality of shoulders for engaging the same to lock the sides or members in their adjustment, said locking bar being retained in engagement with such side or member by its resiliency.

5. A gage for cutting hair including tWo sides or members, said sides or members bing crossed at an intermediate point and provided beyond the bend or crossing with curved gage portions movable toward and from each other in substantial parallelism, and a comb carried by one of the gage portions, the inner gage portion being relatively small in cross section to enable it to readily pass through the hair.

6. A gage for cutting hair including two sides or members and a connecting spring,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

said sides or members being crossed at an intermediate point and provided beyond the point of crossing With gage portions, one of the gage portions being substantially U- shaped in cross section, and a comb secured in such U-shaped gage portion, the other gage portion being substantially semi-cylindrical to fit snugly the comb carrying poratEion and presenting a smooth exterior surace.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signa-.

ture in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

EDGAR F. OLSON, F. W. SEXTON.

Washington, D. 0. 

